I remember a time before heroes had arrived, before they soared through the skies and replaced most police officers, firemen, medics. They may still be around but they're just for show now, to make sure that the ones who don't have abilities have a representative, someone on their side to make themselves feel safe. I remember when I made others feel safe to have a home, have the freedom to speak up, to arm themselves, to go to court, to have a representative, to go to jury trial for anything exceeding 20 dollars. I'm a former marine, a devil dog, a jarhead, a leatherneck, but now? Now all that gets me is an acknowledgement every now and again, while people worship the ground that All Might stands on. Just praying that they could be 10% of the man he is, well I think that's a load of bullshit. I looked at the people, some looked like animals, some had horns, some had different colored skin, and some looked like regular humans. I took the coffee from the person behind the counter and gave them the appropriate amount of yen for it.

I sipped on the black coffee as I made my way down the street, people moved out of the way of a man who is 6'2 that weighs 217 pounds on a good day. People didn't comment on my size, they didn't comment on my choice of clothing, that of which was a black leather jacket, green cargo pants, white undershirt, and black combat boots. They talked about the fact that I was an American in Japan, I came here because of the job opportunities for those without quirks. I was aiming to give myself a fighting chance in this world, if you can call cleaning up messes and fixing things in a hero's agency a fighting chance. Truth of the matter is now, if you don't have these things they call quirks. You're treated like dogshit, that's okay by me, I'm used to that by now. I was treated less than that in boot camp, I know for a fact that none of these people would survive 13 weeks of hell and what came after that, especially the FORECON training. To people nowadays, they wouldn't have even known what a marine is, hell you'd be hard pressed to find someone who knew what the Marine Force Recon was before all these powers popped up.

I sighed into my coffee and drank it, the bitterness stinging my tongue and throat as it slid down said pipe. I worked at the Genius Office as a custodian, I fixed things that broke and cleaned up messes that these so called heroes made. I walked into the office and the receptionist greeted me, "Good morning Davidson-san."

"What did I tell you to call me Junzo?" I asked him.

"Sorry, good morning John." He replied.

"Much better, anything pressing?" I asked him.

"I'm sorry?" He asked.

"Anything that requires my immediate attention." I clarified.

"Well, there's a light out in the boss' office. He wants it fixed when you can." Junzo replied.

I grunted and made my way to the lockers, shrugged on my jumpsuit, finished my coffee, put on my tool belt and walked up to the office of Best Jeanist, the number 4 hero in all the world. I stopped by the supply closet before entering the office, I opened the door to see him combing the hair of a student. They stopped to look at me, I held up the box with the lighttube inside it. "I came to replace the light."

"Oh, John." Best Jeanist replied, "I guess this is as good a time as any. Bakugo, help John."

I looked at the blonde pipsqueak, he reminded me of myself before I joined the corps, I thought I was the center of the universe. That changed pretty damn quick when there were four drill instructors on my ass for things that I didn't know I could fuck up. "Why do I have to help the extra?" He asked.

I chuckled, "Never heard that one before." I looked at Best Jeanist then at the kid, "It's fine sir. I got it, I just gotta go get the ladder." I propped the box up against the wall.

"Are you sure?" Jeanist asked.

"I'm positive, besides I'm sure I would do a lot more than just change a lightbulb if I was left alone with the kid for more than 5 seconds." I told him as I walked down to the maintenance rooms to grab an A-frame ladder. I was back up to the office in 15 minutes and placed the ladder, the kid was surrounded by other apprentices as I set up the ladder and removed the glass panel, slowly came down with said panel as this kid was being read the riot act by Jeanist.

I couldn't help but smirk, Jeanist looked at me and stopped. "Is something funny John?" He asked me.

"No sir." I replied, "I don't think anything is funny."

"Then why were you smirking?" He asked.

"I thought of a funny joke about changing a lightbulb." I told him, "I'll just get back to work."

"Yes, I think that's for the best." Jeanist replied.

So I continued my work on the light, replacing it and putting the panel back. I put the blown out light tube into the box and folded up the ladder, bringing it back down to the maintenance rooms where someone else could use it, then I started cleaning the messes around the office. I continued cleaning and repairing around the office until lunch time, I took my lunch break and went to a barbeque. I did like the japanese barbeque places, grilling my own meat and eating it right off the grill, it was...different but something I enjoyed. I came back to work and finished up cleaning one floor and moved onto the next. When I was stopped by some heroes, "Hey, are you John Davidson?" One of them asked, I never bother to learn their names anymore.

"And if I am?" I asked the duo.

"The boss would like to see you in his office." The other hero replied.

I sighed, that's never a good sign. I started the journey up to his office then I stopped to look at the door, hell I installed the damn thing for him. I was hard pressed to find a solid mahogany door but for the number 4 hero, nothing but the best. The thing never looked more intimidating, I took a deep breath through my nose and steeled myself, then I knocked on the door. "Come in." The singular voice echoed through the door. I opened it and saw Best Jeanist sitting behind his desk. "Hello Davidson-san."

"I'd prefer it if you just call me John." I replied.

"I'd rather not." He spoke coldly, "As much as I appreciate your dedication to our agency, there have been some recent...shall we say cut-backs to our offices and I'm afraid that we will no longer require your services. If you'd please turn in your badge and uniform at the end of the day, and you'll be able to collect your final paycheck."

It was bullshit and I knew it, he knew it too. But what could I do? Nothing that's what. My hands tightened into fists almost by instinct, something was bubbling under the surface that I hadn't felt in a long time, however I ignored it, "Yes, sir." I said through gritted teeth, I breathed through my nose as I walked out of the office, slamming the door behind me as I did what was requested of me. I turned in my uniform and badge, then I collected my final paycheck, shoved it into my jacket pocket and left the agency. By this time the land of rising sun had turned to night and the street lights illuminated the sidewalk. I sighed and walked towards my home, looking down at the sidewalk as I heard honking horns, flashing displays out of the corner of my eyes, people walking around me, then I heard a scream pierce the air. "HELP!" I stopped, and looked around, then heard it again. "HELP!" The source was coming from across the street in an alleyway. So I kicked it into high gear, and crossed the street as fast as I could, a car stopped in front of me and I vaulted over the hood. It's been a while since my training had kicked in, but if now was a time for it to do so, then I won't stop it.

I got to the alleyway to see a woman being backed into a wall by two muggers, both of them had knives. "HEY!" I shouted from my diaphragm, and that got the attention of all parties, "Get away from her." I growled.

"Hey, lookie here. We got someone trying to play the hero." The mugger on the left said, "Let's show him what happens to people who get in our way shall we Shotaro?"

"You said it Hisato." The mugger named Shotaro agreed.

Both of them rushed me, with a guttural roar I ran to meet them. The one on the left, Hisato came to me first and I punched him in the nose. That caught him off guard while the other one, Shotaro, sliced at me with his knife. I blocked it with my forearm, the blade piercing right through my jacket and into the skin and meat of my forearm. I expected that however it doesn't make it hurt any less, I kicked him off with a push kick which knocked him onto his ass. I went to grab the knife but Hisato came back at me, he swung from the left side with a wide arc and I dodged to the left of it. I countered by planting my leg behind him while I grabbed his waist and threw him down. I grabbed the handle of the blade that protruded from my forearm and pulled it out with a grunt. Shotaro ran at me with a brick that he picked up only to receive a knife in the stomach for his troubles, I slid the blade 7 inches to the left and twisted. I pulled it out, having the brick drop out of his hand and him clutching his now open stomach.

He screamed in pain as Hisato turned around to get up, that was his final mistake as I used his friend's knife to slice through both his hamstrings, rendering him immoble. He screamed out in pain as well while dropping the knife, He reached out for it only to have his wrist stepped on by me. I picked up the knife that was recently in the hand of the assailant, "Sometimes I wonder what makes you people do the things you do." I said to him, "When you know that around any corner there could be a hero here to stop you." I crouched down, and then stabbed his outstretched hand, pinning it to the concrete. That caused him to cry out in pain again, with tears rolling down the corner of both eyes, a line of snot and blood pooling out of his nose. I got between him and his victim, "No hero came to stop you or your buddy, just me. I was having one hell of a day before this." I twirled his friend's knife around in my hand, "You think this makes you powerful?" I stabbed him in the forearm. "You think this makes you special?" I stabbed him in the bicep, right above the elbow, and dragged it up to his shoulder. "No. It doesn't, it just gives you the illusion of power." I pulled the knife out of his arm, the blood and muscle pouring out of it while I brought the blade up to the man's head. I pulled it back and then, a spotlight was turned onto me.

"STOP RIGHT THERE!" I heard someone shout, "PUT THE KNIFE DOWN!" I looked up and sighed as the 'real heroes' had arrived. I tossed the knife away, making sure that he couldn't get to it. His buddy was busy trying to hold in his guts. I looked at the knife embedded into his hand and concrete and kicked it to the side. Slicing his hand open and sending pebbles of concrete in nearly the same trajectory as the knife. I walked toward the heroes with my hands raised as I was soon restrained, I heard sirens in the distance.